From Amy Thomas, author of Paris, My Sweet. A love affair with Paris, New York, sweets and, now, a little girl named Parker.

Monday, June 21, 2010

My Vegan Mondays

Can quinoa continue expanding after it’s cooked and is inside your belly? I woke up twice last night with the most horrendous stomachache. The only culprit I could think of was the quinoa salad I made in anticipation for Vegan Monday (right? It wouldn’t have been the cherry clafoutis I had from Carette?!). Alas, it was a pretty boring eating day.

6 comments:

We don't eat red meat but I am afraid of what would happen to me if I went vegan.. but ... your lunch really appeals to me.Especially the chocolate/banana ... besos, Candicewho just had a sneaky teaspoonful of nutella straight from the jar ... shhh~

If you are just starting vegan meals, your system has to adapt to the huge change. And quinoa fills you up faster. I use it in salads and I love it now. Just takes a little getting use to but so good for you. I sometimes use it in place of pasta with the yummy pasta sauce. Or a little bit in the morning with fresh fruit on top.Chocolate nutella and banana .... now that sounds good.

Your afternoon meal sounds fantastic! I think it's neat to meat those who are vegetarians, vegans, etc. I for one have never thought about it before and probably never will but it's really neat to see!

I've been trying to eat vegan until 6pm (the Mark Bittman diet) and had to laugh at your menu because it looks a lot like my own -- hummous, hummous and more hummous! Oh, and sometimes some peanut butter. Or almond butter. And a lot of those Wasa grain crackers or toast. Good luck with the vegan Mondays. I actually feel a lot more energetic with my part-time vegan lifestyle!

I like that this post elicited so much enthusiasm! I've been doing the Vegan Mondays for about four months now and sometimes I feel it's futile, if not silly. That it doesn't matter. I'm often tempted to go ahead and buy un creme in when I'm dragging in the afternoon, or to add cheese to my dinner to make it that much more delicious. But one day out of seven is such a wee sacrifice for something that is so important to me.

I gave up red meat (beef and pork) 10 years ago for environmental reasons (thank you, Michael Pollan). And while I know there is so much more I can do, so many other changes I could and should make, I also believe in enjoying yourself and your food. (As the saying goes Life's short; eat dessert first.)

So here's to each of us - Candice, Meg, Jen, Erin and Ann! We can't change the world, but we can change ourselves. xo